Thursday, 28 September 2017

A Fresh Perspective

First, let me apologise for my absence. I had a very small
mental breakdown. I have always been a little nuts, but recently, I allowed my
negative frame of mind to overtake me. The good news is that I am once again
sane (I have a letter from my Doctor certifying my sanity, in case I forget)
and normal service is resumed.

There
is still, sadly, some degree of stigma attached to mental health issues, hence
the somewhat tongue-in-cheek commentary above. The long and short of it is that
the mind of us over-imaginative types is a harsh mistress and I finally needed
to admit that I needed a little help.

And now
for something completely different.

Serious
question: why did no one tell me how awesome the Clone Wars CGI series
was? During my period of convalescence, I discovered this, and I am having so
much fun with it. I mean, they actually managed to make Anakin a sympathetic
and heroic figure, more so than any of the prequels managed. And, while that
deserves its own praise, the rest of the show is equally fantastic, especially
the new characters, such as Ahsoka Tano and Asajj Ventress.

Ahsoka
actually inspired me to try the SWTOR Jedi Knight story again. The Knight story
is one I have struggled with tremendously. Although I have completed the other
class stories at least three times each, I have been unable to get past the
Prologue on more than a single Knight character.

The
story just felt to me like the writer(s) made a list of all the bad parts of
Star Wars, then phoned it in. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but the fact
remains that I did not enjoy the Knight story at all.

I am,
however, all about the character. And, this was the first time I have tried a
female Knight. I must say that the female Knight voice actor does a much better
job, in my opinion, than the male voice actor. Also, this is the first time I
have found a reason and inspiration to create a Togruta, which I purchased the
unlock for when it became available. I also spent close to a million credits on
FashionTOR: The Mini-Game.Although, it
must be said that I purchased one of the new Cartel Packs with my monthly
cartel coin grant and sold the armor set I received for 1.9 million credits, so
my new Knight is hardly running at a deficit. I wasn’t willing to spend the
millions of credits that white lightsaber crystals are currently selling for,
though, so my new Sentinel has the Ice Blue crystals I already had unlocked in
her lightsabers, and I am quite happy with that.

I have
just finished Tython, and I am having so much more fun than I have previously
had with Knight characters! It’s amazing what a fresh perspective will do for
you.

My new Togruta Jedi
Sentinel, newly minted Knight of the Republic and all around snarky badass

This
has also got me thinking that I may actually try KotFE and KotET again. I have
still not managed to get any further than Chapter IX of KotFE. I am very wary
of the conspiracy to abduct all my beloved companions and honestly haven’t been
that impressed with what I have seen of the story so far, at least insofar as
its treatement of characters goes; the limited dialog options, lack of
variation by class and faction, etc… I’ll start slow and maybe take my Sith Warrior
through. At least he can get his wife, Vette, back. I’m also thinking my Agent
or Inquisitor might be fun.

Many have commented that it feels
like an extension of the Knight story, but it will be a while before my new
Knight reaches that stage. Opinions?

Darth Simmer,
Empire's Wrath

Evanesa, Master
Conspirator, Heir to the Star Cabal and controller of the Black Codex

Lord Fangral,
Forcewalker and Master Assassin (also Darth Nox, if I can ever get around to
completing her class story)

1 comment:

Glad to hear that you're feeling better! Feeling mentally overwhelmed is never a nice thing.

It may not be a popular opinion, but you're not alone - I'm not a huge fan of the Jedi knight story either. It has its strong moments, but also features way too many worn out clichés.

Out of your existing characters, I would recommend the inquisitor for KotFE & KotET. That class doesn't have as personal a connection to the Emperor, but the general tone and themes of the two expansions fit the inquisitor's story to a T and make it more fun to play through than as any other class (from my personal experience).